New Twitter users (and even seasoned ones) complain about the sheer amount of tweets demanding attention all at once. It’s a valid concern with one good solution: TWITTER LISTS!

The good folks behind Twitter.com designed a way for us to separate the people we’re following into categories. Once you have created lists and slotted the people you’re following accordingly, you can stop reading tweets as one manic blast of information. Our brains like order. If you’re following more than 100 people, do your mind a favor and get those Twitter lists started soon.

Perhaps right now you’re thinking, but I only follow writers, what kind of categories can I possibly create?

First, let me repeat last month’s advice to follow a variety of people, which will make your Twitter feed full of more than “tips on characterization!” and “free ebooks!” But even if you insist on a writers-only Twitter experience, you can make lists. How about a list for local writers, one for writers in your genre, debut authors and so on? The key to making lists is that you absolutely cannot put someone in two lists. If the local writer also writes in your genre, you have to pick one category for that person unless you want to see tweets more than once. (Trust me. You don’t.)